Shimano has announced the new EP6 and an updated EP8 motor. But there are more changes happening. Let's have a look at what's listed on the Shimano website for 2023.
Shimano says both motors are light and compact, and have improved pedaling resistance. It appears they just repeated the same description for the new motor. I don't expect them to be very different in that regard. The new motor is Class3 compatible, that translates to S-Pedelec in Europe. Doesn't make much of a difference for emtbs.
Shimano is listing improved system connectivity and expanded system communication capabilities for the EP801. It seems the difference between the motors lies here. There are new options for customizing the motor and a Finetune Mode. Shimano has been holding back on the amount of options to tweak the motor. I've asked about this, but they said they wanted to keep things simple. My response was they could have an "advanced mode". The new Finetune Mode sure looks advanced, with "up to 15 assist patterns". This will be interesting to test!
Also, Shimano says power delivery has been improved. There should be more motor support at higher cadence and improved characteristics for climbing. What the latter means remains to be seen. But I suspect there could be a tad more motor overrun, allowing the rider to make small pedaling adjustments without the motor power dropping.
There are two Shimano XT Di2 drivetrains in the EP8 lineup, one 12-speed and one 11-speed.
What about motor noise? The rattling noise when coasting over rough surfaces is a result of the motor design, a result of making other motor properties a higher priority. It's the same with the Bosch Performance CX gen4. Is it possible this is gone on the EP801? Well, it remains to be seen. I don't expect it's gone, but it will be the first thing I check.
The EP6 has the same communications and connection improvements as the EP801. It gets the new Fine Tune Mode. But it seems it doesn't get the high cadence performance increase, so I take it the EP6 will have the same ride feel as the old EP8. If so, it will be interesting to see if there is a meaningful difference between the two new motors. To me the EP6 seems a very interesting option on a full fat emtb.
The EP8 lineup now includes an EP8 for cargo bikes and an ABS system.
10&11-speed Di2 is pretty cool!
I never stop going on about having well-functioning kit at a lower price point. The EP6 and Cues drivetrain seems like a good step in this direction. The U6070 is an 11 speed system with an 11-50t cassette. While the U6050 is 10-speed 11-43t cassette. Does this sound familiar? Yeah, the two Shimano Linkglide systems launched last year are now available in the Cues 6 line-up. I need to test these first, but I can see myself preferring these over the 12-speed drivetrains. At least on a full fat emtb.
If you go Cues Di2, you have to say goodbye to the traditional shifter.
But I do believe it was time for a BMS update. I always found the Shimano system a bit unreliable when the battery is almost out. Will the motor go into limp mode, or will it simply shut down? I hope this has been addressed with the new BMS. The new batteries look the same as the old ones, but their names are new. The internal 630Wh BT-E8036 is now the BT-EN806. The smaller 504Wh BT-E8035 is now the BT-EN805.
Batteries still look the same.
The SC-EN610 also has the more finely grained battery indicator. I would guess this display won't be the most popular for emtbs considering the exposed mounting position. But perhaps there are alternative ways of integrating it. There's also the SC-EN500, it looks like the old E5000/5003 display and it keeps the old battery indicator.
SC-EN610 to the left and SC-EN500 to the right.
The motors
There are 4 emtb motors out on the Shimano website; E7000, EP6, EP8 (EP800) and EP8 (EP801). Shimano has a habit of introducing new versions and keep the old versions. But we expect 2023 bikes will be fitted with either the EP6 or the EP8 (EP801). There are obviously some differences between the old and new EP8, we studied the specs to find out.Comparing the EP8s
The differences aren't very clear. Shimano claim the EP800 is 2.6kg. But just as the EP800 was launched, it was held back due to reports of cracks in the motor casing. When the motor started shipping again, weight had increased slightly, to about 2.65kg. It seems there is a slight weight increase for the EP801.|
The old EP8 |
The new EP8 |
Shimano says both motors are light and compact, and have improved pedaling resistance. It appears they just repeated the same description for the new motor. I don't expect them to be very different in that regard. The new motor is Class3 compatible, that translates to S-Pedelec in Europe. Doesn't make much of a difference for emtbs.
Shimano is listing improved system connectivity and expanded system communication capabilities for the EP801. It seems the difference between the motors lies here. There are new options for customizing the motor and a Finetune Mode. Shimano has been holding back on the amount of options to tweak the motor. I've asked about this, but they said they wanted to keep things simple. My response was they could have an "advanced mode". The new Finetune Mode sure looks advanced, with "up to 15 assist patterns". This will be interesting to test!
Also, Shimano says power delivery has been improved. There should be more motor support at higher cadence and improved characteristics for climbing. What the latter means remains to be seen. But I suspect there could be a tad more motor overrun, allowing the rider to make small pedaling adjustments without the motor power dropping.
There are two Shimano XT Di2 drivetrains in the EP8 lineup, one 12-speed and one 11-speed.
What about motor noise? The rattling noise when coasting over rough surfaces is a result of the motor design, a result of making other motor properties a higher priority. It's the same with the Bosch Performance CX gen4. Is it possible this is gone on the EP801? Well, it remains to be seen. I don't expect it's gone, but it will be the first thing I check.
How does the EP6 compare?
The EP6 is heavier than both EP8 versions. And it's cheaper. I assume the magnesium motor casing is gone on the EP6, making it about 300g heavier. And that's not a big deal. Being listed at 3kg, the EP6 is only very slightly heavier than the 2.9kg Bosch Performance CX and Specialized 2.2 motors.The EP6 has the same communications and connection improvements as the EP801. It gets the new Fine Tune Mode. But it seems it doesn't get the high cadence performance increase, so I take it the EP6 will have the same ride feel as the old EP8. If so, it will be interesting to see if there is a meaningful difference between the two new motors. To me the EP6 seems a very interesting option on a full fat emtb.
The EP8 lineup now includes an EP8 for cargo bikes and an ABS system.
Auto Shift
The EP801 and EP6 both support Auto Shift. You need one of three electronic drivetrains for this to work. The electronic XT M8150, U6070 or U6050. There are lots of options to tune the shifting behavior. You can set when the system shifts based on cadence and type of riding. Can Shimano convince me automatic is good? I always found automatic transmission on cars a bit annoying. They didn't really shift when I wanted them to. It will be very interesting to test this!
That's right, two new electric drivetrains
Did you notice the U6050 and U6070? Those are the new Cues 10 and 11-speed drivetrains. Cues comes in three model lines, the 4, 5 and 6. They'll be replacing everything below Shimano SLX. We care most about the Cues 6 line which replaces Shimano Deore, and the Alivio for all I know. So we basically get electric Deore, which I find very cool. It doesn't seem there's a Cues 6 with mechanical shifting though, not yet at least.|
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I never stop going on about having well-functioning kit at a lower price point. The EP6 and Cues drivetrain seems like a good step in this direction. The U6070 is an 11 speed system with an 11-50t cassette. While the U6050 is 10-speed 11-43t cassette. Does this sound familiar? Yeah, the two Shimano Linkglide systems launched last year are now available in the Cues 6 line-up. I need to test these first, but I can see myself preferring these over the 12-speed drivetrains. At least on a full fat emtb.
If you go Cues Di2, you have to say goodbye to the traditional shifter.
Next generation battery management
After reading the EP6 and EP801 specs, you may have noticed they are compatible with the second generation battery management system (BMS). And that, of course, means new batteries. The EP6 and EP801 only work with the new batteries running the new BMS. That's bad news for anyone wanting to use their old spare batteries on their next bike.But I do believe it was time for a BMS update. I always found the Shimano system a bit unreliable when the battery is almost out. Will the motor go into limp mode, or will it simply shut down? I hope this has been addressed with the new BMS. The new batteries look the same as the old ones, but their names are new. The internal 630Wh BT-E8036 is now the BT-EN806. The smaller 504Wh BT-E8035 is now the BT-EN805.
Batteries still look the same.
Displays
The old EP800 display is still listed, and I assume it works on the new motors as there isn't a new EP8 level display out. There are new EP6 displays though. The photo of the SC-EN600 reveals things such as ABS support and a more finely grained battery indicator. This display is looking fresh and modern, finer than the old EP800.|
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The SC-EN610 also has the more finely grained battery indicator. I would guess this display won't be the most popular for emtbs considering the exposed mounting position. But perhaps there are alternative ways of integrating it. There's also the SC-EN500, it looks like the old E5000/5003 display and it keeps the old battery indicator.
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How about no display?
I recently rode a bike with the EW-EN100. The small unit that replaces the display on Shimano bikes. It sits clipped to the brake hose. There it's free to shake and move about, making it difficult to see the two led lights at times. I don't mind a bike with no display, but this wasn't the most elegant solution. The new SW-EN600-L remote looks much more interesting. It's like a blend of a handlebar remote and the old EW-EN100. There are more buttons and a slightly more detailed indication of battery charge. It's two units combined into one, securely fixed on the handlebars.|
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